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Secession lagniappe

Earlier this week word got out that the CEO of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Kamana‘opono Crabbe, had submitted a letter (pdf here) to Secretary of State John Kerry, asking him to clarify the status of the Hawaiian Kingdom under international law. The trustees quickly rescinded it, and Crabbe’s job may be in jeopardy. Various Hawaiian nationalists have started a petition to support him, emphasizing that, “The questions posed represent the perspectives of the broader Hawaiian and Hawai‘i community and their search for justice regarding the United States supported illegal overthrow of the constitutional Hawaiian Kingdom on Jan 17th, 1893.” According to the Hawaiian Kingdom blog, one trustee has already distanced himself from the letter rescinding Crabbe’s inquiry, and OHA has a press conference scheduled tomorrow in Honolulu to address the matter.

One of the founders of the Libertarian Party of Puerto Rico calls for “micro-independence” for the territory. Chris Roth is skeptical in light of Obama’s opposition to secession and the need to get an independence referendum through Congress.

Sarawak secession is back in the news, with one lawmaker saying 75 percent of Sarawakians would opt for separation if a vote were held today. (More commentary here.) There’s been friction between the Borneo and peninsular parts of Malaysia for some time, and the disparity in development between the two has only gotten more stark since the issue cropped up in 1966.

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Pat Buchanan on the War Party’s unsuccessful effort to take down Walter Jones.

Louisiana seceded on January 26, 1861 with the enthusiastic support of Bishop Polk. In his homily at Christ Cathedral, he declared that secession was fully justified and indicated that, henceforth, the Book of Common Prayer would be altered to eliminate prayers for the President and Congress of the United States and that, instead, prayers would be offered for the Governor and the Legislature of Louisiana.

This edit became a source of controversy when a zealous Yankee commandant insisted the Bishop of Natchez pray for Lincoln. Bishop Elder asked for intercession from Washington, and Lincoln magnanimously intervened.

Psychedelic band blamed for Nigerian kidnapping. (Related, from the World Socialists, on AFRICOM)

We now know the name of the agent that shot Ibragim Todashev in Florida, following the Boston Marathon bombing. He appears to have an interesting history.

The Telegraph rounds up ten micronations, including Copenhagen’s Freetown Christiania, the Hutt River Principality, and the venerable Conch Republic.